#LeiCrimeKW Author Interview With Amy Allen

I was already reading your books, and had been talking to you about my love for writing. You mentioned to me about the Kindle World, and had invited me to a virtual party for it. I wasn’t ready to write one yet, even though you had invited me to do one. I think the first one I got was Julie Gilbert’s first one – if I remember correctly I won it (LOL), and I’ve been hooked since on the Kindle Worlds. Now writing one, I feel honored to be part of your wonderful group of already established authors.

Tell us how your story links to the Lei Crime Series.

When you first asked me about writing a novella for the Kindle World, I had put it off because no one really jumped out at me, until I ‘met’ Jared. This novella is using my own character with Jared, and is set on Maui. Lei and Stevens will also make cameos due to my main character having her cottage destroyed.

The Lei Crime Series are police procedural mysteries with a twist of romance. What genres do you explore in your story?

New Beginnings is definitely a romance between my main character and Jared. However, my main character also has someone that doesn’t like her so there is a bit of suspense/mystery, but more romance.

The Lei Crime Series is set in Hawaii, but these novellas could be set anywhere. Tell us about where you set your story, and why.

I decided on Maui. My main character’s dad is retiring from the Navy and is a prosecutor on Maui, and her older brother (a year older than Jared) is a firefighter on Maui. Mom, dad and my main character moved from Oahu to Maui to have family all together again.

Tell us a little about your main character(s.) Why do you think readers will like her?

My main character, Palanaki – or Lana for short, is a Navy brat but was born and spent most of her life on Guam, even with having moved to other bases at times. She is half Kiowa Indian, one-fourth Haitian, and one-fourth Chamorro (Guamanian) – with a bit of Hawaiian in that fourth. Even at 25 she is still relatively innocent – relatively because from the time she was 6 to when she was 18 she’d been beaten and raped by the antagonist of the story. She is shy, though she is a hula dancer at moment. Despite the mistreatment, she has kept going. With the last attack, she went through an internal and external change, stressing her and with part of her dying. It caused her hair to go from jet black to white blonde, and she gained tattoo looking tribal markings down one side. Despite this, she still went to college at the University of Hawaii’s main campus on Oahu. Up until she meets Jared, she had a distrust of men. She enjoys all water sports, but also plays the fiddle/violin, and runs. She is a Criminal Psychologist – one of the degrees she graduated with – and would like to be a consultant as such. She loves her family and her two wolves.

What major theme comes across the clearest in your story?

It is the start of Jared’s and Lana’s romance.

Share some of your story about becoming a writer.

I guess I really started writing – more in my mind – around 1998 when I started dreaming. I was an active participant, not just watching – of a woman that would end up being my go to character for most anything I write, except this novella (this character is different than my go to girl ~smiles~). I then started putting down words on my computer (more fan-fics but also an original or two) around 2002. I had also started doing role-play threads around 2002 or so. Like most of us, I had to do writing assignments in English class in junior high and high school, and even though I had a good imagination, my writing at that point wasn’t the best. I’ve been doing various fan fics or originals since. I do NaNo (National Novel Writing Month in November) every year – although I’ve only won once – and have been for the last I don’t know how many years at this point. I love to write – but I also come from a family with some good writers.

Do you have a background related to your writing? Interests? What makes you interesting outside of your books. Authors are often some of the most interesting people I’ve ever met!

My background really doesn’t relate to writing. I’m a homecare pediatric (kids) LPN Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and have been a nurse for 27 and a half years. I’ve been at my current job, and have lived in Reno, Nevada, for 9 and a half years. When I’m not working or writing, I bowl, spend time with my 3 cats, go visit my parents in Northern California or visit my brother in the Sacramento area. I also participate in the Los Angeles for a Magnificent Seven/Old West convention. October 2016 will be our 4th year and I am part of the volunteer staff and have been since the 2nd year. I also like to read, or watch movies/shows on my DVR. LOL – I guess what would make me interesting outside of what I write would be the Con I am staff on, if that’s considered interesting. Spending 48 hours a week with a 16 year old can be interesting too. But that’s more because of what we watch on TV (LOL). Every year I go to the Rib Cook off on Labor Day weekend and went to the Rodeo for the first time last year (hoping to go again this year), and went to see an Ace’s Baseball Game (our AAA team) last year – hope to go to a game this year. I also collect most anything wolf and Disney.

What are you working on next, aside from the novella in the Lei Crime Series Kindle World?

I have a fantasy story I had started a while back that I am going to get going more on and hopefully see about getting it published when done, besides the various original and (unfortunately non-publishable) fan-fictions I seem to always have going (LOL).

22 Responses to “#LeiCrimeKW Author Interview With Amy Allen”

Interesting interview. Although Romance is not my favorite genre, I’ve read Toby’s “Somewhere In.. ” series, and loved them! Anything about Lei Crime Series peaks my interest, so will probably get around to this novella.

Thanks. & that she could turn his head & fall in love with her is what I could see with her too. Lana & Lei will end up being friends – already on the way to becoming fiends. Glad to have you find me. Hope you enjoy the book. 🙂

Oh thank you. I do hope you enjoy. There are 3 of us that did romance as main. 🙂 – not sure if the 15 of us with these new novellas are on the book list by Toby yet. & what’s nice is – unless the book is in it’s own series & it helps to read first in that series – you don’t need to read these KW’s in any order.
Hope you had a good 4th.

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Meet Toby

Toby Neal was raised on Kauai in Hawaii. She wrote and illustrated her first story at age 5. After initially majoring in journalism, she eventually settled on mental health as a career and loves her work, saying, “I’m endlessly fascinated with people’s stories.”Read More ›